Reclining chair



A. J. BELISLE RECLINING CHAIR Filed May 12, 1958 Dec. 15, 1959 I 7 1N VEN TOR.

fi/gw Jm United States Patent RECLINING CHAIR Adelard J Belisle, South Hadley Falls, Mass. Application May 12, 1958, Serial No. 734,746

9' Claims. (Cl. 155-106) My invention is directed to new and useful improvements in a reclinable chair and is particularly directed to a chair having a seat and back and leg-rest which are swingable and shiftable in coordinated movements relative to a base or chassis or support by means of alinkage mechanism which assists in the assumption by the components of a multiplicity of positions of repose relative to said base and to each other.

The seat thereof is elevatable substantially vertically both at its rearward and forward ends and is propellable substantially horizontally and forwardly and further is inclinable rearwardly and downwardly, all relative to the base, as the back shifts from a full sitting to a full reclining position. I

The chair hereof has a leg-rest, which is shiftable upon and by the actuation of the seat and back so that, as the back is moved to its fully reclined position, the legrest is raised to a substantially horizontally-disposed and elevated position, all so as to more properly and com fortably support the legs and feet of the occupant forwardly of and distantly from the seat.

When the chair is in its normal upright or sitting position, the leg-rest is in an inoperative, generally verticallydisposed, position immediately adjacent the forward or front face of the chair where saidleg-rest appears'inconspicuously as a part of the base or chassis or support.

In the chair hereof, the unitary linkage mechanism interconnecting the base, seat, back and leg-rest permits the shifting of the leg-rest forwardly away from and relative to the seat and the separation of the seat and back away from each other upon the combined elevation and inclination of the seat and the reclination of the back.

' The seat and back are so pivotally supported on the base and so poised and counterbalanced that, by leaning back in the chair, a user may cause the back to movedownwardly'and backwardly into a reclining position and the seat forwardly and upwardly into an elevated and inclining position, and by sitting up in the seat, the user can return the chair to its upright sitting position.

The mechanism hereof offers the advantage that the chair back may be of such design and configuration that, in the normal sitting position, it need'not extend upwardly above the uppermost plane of the seat member for any greater height than is reasonable, all to the end that, appearancewise,'a low backed chair is attained.

The chair is so balanced and its components are so poised that they will not move fromtheir sitting to reclining positions unless the user applies a reasonable pressure with his back against the chair back, thereby permitting the chair to be used as an ordinary sitting chair, except when used as a reclining chair.

I An object hereof is to provide a chair having a legrest or foot-rest adjacent the front edge of the seat, which is. actuatable with the seat and back so that, when the chair is moved to its reclining position, the leg-rest will be raised to a substantially horizontal position at least as high as or above the top of the chair seat cushion, all

ice

so as to provide a chair which will properly support the entire human body in a generally reclining position.

It is a still further object hereof to provide a mechanism whereby rearward tilting of the back will cause rapid actuation and raising of the leg-rest to properly support the legs of the user even when the seat is not fully reclined.-

It is another object hereof to provide a fixture of the aforementioned type which will permit the chair to be reclined when desired but will maintain the chair in -a normal sitting position unless it is desired so to recline the same.

It is a still further object hereof to provide a chair of the aforementioned type in which the seat, back, and leg-rest are supported by a plurality of interconnected pivotal links which will advance the seat forwardly and upwardly as the back swings downwardly and rearwardly, and will swing the leg-rest upwardly to provide a contoured seat arrangement with the leg-rest disposed above the chair seat.

It is a still further object to provide a structure connecting the leg-rest with the seat and back actuating mechanism, so that the leg-rest will project outwardly or forwardly in spaced relation relative to the seat as it moves upwardly, when the chair is reclined.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a chair of the aforementioned type which is rugged in its construction, relatively inexpensive in its manufacture, and attractive in its appearance.

The invention envisions a reclinable chair wherein the seat and back are each pivotally supported on and are separately swingable relative to the base, and also wherein the leg-rest is in no way directly connected to the seat so as to permit extended movements thereof away fromthe seat, and further wherein a pair of linkage mechanisms coact to effect the raising and the inclining of the seat and the simultaneous shifting of the leg-rest upon the reclination of the back relative to the base.

Stated otherwise, the reclination of the back relative to the base accomplishes the inclination or angularization of the seat relative to the base and, simultaneous therewith, the shifting of the leg-rest from a normal, nonoperative, position adjacent the seat to a leg-supporting, operative, position away from and forwardly of the seat.

Herein is provided a unitary linkage mechanism of the aforementioned type which, when the chair is reclined, will move the leg-rest outwardly a distance away from the seat in a manner so as to properly engage the occupants legs well below his knees whereby his feet are properly accommodated throughout the cycle of travel between the non-operative and operative positions, all with a minimum of exertion on the part of the occupant being necessitated in both the reclining and declining directions of travel.

The seat, back and leg-rest components hereof are held in continuous poised balanced relationship with the base throughout its cycle of movement whereby easy maneuverability of the seat and back and leg-rest is attained.

In the drawing, I have shown a complete example of a chair mechanism illustrating the fundamental principle of the invention although it is entirely conceivable that modifications could be made to such example which would employ the basic inventive concept hereof and still remain within the spirit and letter of the claims hereto appended.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the chair structure taken on the inside of one of the side plates of the base, showing one of the forms of the invention in the partially inclined position of the components thereof; and

'Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the relationship of the components in the fully extended or reclining position of the components of the chair.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the chair structure disclosed in Fig. 1 will first be described, it being appreciated that the embodiment shows what appears to be a conventional arm chair.

The proportions and dimensions of the chair are those common to articles of this nature. They may be varied within the ranges well known to those in the business of making furniture, and obviously there is a wide variety of styles which may be drawn upon.

In said figure, I have shown a relatively fixed stationary base or support or chassis, comprising on each side thereof, a pair of transversely spaced vertically-extending posts '2 connected together by a side plate member 4 and by an arm member 6.

The posts 2 and side plate 4 and arm member 6 on each side of the base are connected together by a plurality of transverse stretchers or cross rails such as 8, all as is conventional and well known.

The components are suitably shaped to give the base any desired contour.

Obviously, if desired, the side panel on each side of the base could comprise a unitary panel.

In the illustrated embodiment, a back, generally designated by 10, comprises a pair of transversely-spaced, generally vertically-extending, side members 12 connected together by stretchers or cross rails 14, and a seat, generally designated by 20, comprises a pair of transverselyspaced, generally vertically-extending, side members 22 connected together by stretchers or cross rails (not shown). A leg-rest, generally designated by 30, comprises a pair of transversely-spaced, generally verticallyextending, side members 32 connected together by stretchers or cross rails 34.

The back, seat and leg-rest may be suitably upholstered, padded or otherwise covered, all as is conventional and well known.

Having thus described the various structural parts of the chair, attention will now be directed to the system by means of which such structural parts are held in their cooperative and coacting relationships.

In the views and throughout the disclosure of the specification, wherever the linkage systems are referred to, only one linkage mechanism, for each chair structure so shown and described, will be mentioned. However, it will be understood that two such mechanisms, operating in unison as a pair, constitute a linkage system, there being one such mechanism on each opposite side of the chair structure concerned, all as is well known to those versed in the art.

If desired, a single such mechanism, located centrally of the chair, could be employed.

The linkage mechanism of Fig. 1 will now be described.

A base link 40 is fixed to the side plate member 4 the base as by screws 42 or the like.

A back link 44 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the rear end or dog-leg portion of the base link 40 by means of a pivotal connection 46 and is fixed at its upper end to the adjacent side member 12 of the back by means of screws 48 or the like.

The base link 44) being fixed to the base, it will be appreciated that, the position of the pivotal connection 46 remains fixed, and the back, fixed to the back link 44, assumes its various positions by turning on said pivotal connection. Thus, the back will be observed to pivot towards and away from the base.

A primary back separator 50 is pivoted to the back link 44 at 52, and is pulled rearwardly as the back reclines.

Said primary back separator is pivotally connected at its forward end at 54 to a secondary back separator 56.

The secondary back separator 56 is pivotally connected intermediate its ends at 58 to the base link 40.

. The lower extremity of the secondary back separator 56 is pivotally connected at 60 to the rearward extremity of an actuator 62.

A primary seat propeller-elevator 64 has a lower extremity pivoted at 66 to the secondary back separator 56 and an upper extremity fixed as at 68 to the rearward extremity of a seat link 74.

The seat link 74 may be fixed to the side frame 22 of the seat 20 as by screws 76 or the like.

As the back 10 rotates on its pivot 46 so as to recline, the primary back separator 50 pivoted to the back link 44 is pulled rearwardly so as to rotate the secondary back separator 56 on the pivotal connection on the base link 40 which is fixed to the base.

As the secondary back separator 56 rotates, the primary seat propeller-elevator 64, pivoted thereto, is urged upwardly so as to elevate and propel forwardly the rear end of the seat link 74 to which said member 64 is fixed.

The forward extremity of the actuator 62 is pivoted at 80 to the short limb of a bell-crank 82 which is pivoted at 83 to the forward extremity of the seat link 74.

A downwardly depending primary leg-rest actuator 84 has an upper extremity pivoted at 86 to the seat link 74 and a lower extremity pivoted at 88 to the rearward extremity of a secondary leg-rest actuator 90.

The opposite forward extremity of the secondary legrest actuator 90 is pivoted at 92 to a leg-rest link 94 fixed to the leg-rest 30.

The outer and lower free extremity of the long limb of the bell-crank 82 is pivoted at 96 to a midsection of the secondary leg-rest actuator.

Intermediate the length of the long limb of the bellcrank 82, a tertiary leg-rest actuator 100 has a rearward extremity pivoted at 102.

The forward extremity of the tertiary leg-rest actuator 100 is pivoted at 104 to the leg-rest link 94.

The outer extremity of the short limb of the bell-crank 82 is pivotally connected at 106 to the upper extremity of a tertiary seat propeller-elevator 108, which member 108 has a lower extremity pivoted at 110 to the base link 40.

In operation, the pivotally interconnected primary and secondary back separators coact, with the secondary back separator being rotatable on the base link. The pivotally interconnected primary and secondary seat'propeller elevators coact, with the secondary seat propeller elevator being rotatable on the base link. The member rotating on the base link moves simultaneously as the back reclines rearwardly so as to effect a forward projection and elevation of the seat.

Further in operation, the actuator assists in the forward and upward projection of the seat as the actuator is projected forwardly and upwardly by the rotation of the secondary back separator on its pivotal connection with the base link.

Further in operation, the pivotally interconnected primary and secondary leg-rest actuators are projected forwardly and upwardly by the forward and upward movement of the actuator so as to elevate the leg-rest.

One advantage in having the seat raise upwardly as the back reclines is that it assists the user in moving into the reclining position and keeps him from falling back. In efiect, it applies a brake to the reclining motion and elfects a maintenance of balance between the components.

What I claim is:

1. In a mechanism for supporting a chair seat and chair back assembly in sitting and reclining positions relative to a base comprising, a base link rigidly connectable to the base, a back link rigidly connectable to the back, a seat link rigidly connectable to the seat, a primary back separator pivotally connected to said back link, a secondary back separator pivotally connected to said base link and being rotatable on said base link, said primary and second back separators being pivotally interconnected, and a primary seat propeller-elevator being fixed to said seat link and pivotally connected to said secondary back separator, whereby upon reclination of the back away from the seat the seat is projected forwardly and upwardly by the rotation of said secondary back separator on its pivotal connection with said base link.

2. In the mechanism of claim 1, the improvement including, an actuator pivotally connected to said secondary back separator and to the seat.

3. In the mechanism of claim 2, the improvement including means for supporting a leg-rest relative to the base comprising, a leg-rest actuator pivotally connected to the leg-rest, a secondary leg-rest actuator pivotally connected to the leg-rest, said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators being pivotally interconnected whereby the forward actuation of said actuator projects said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators forwardly for the upward and forward actuation of the leg-rest.

4. In a. mechanism for supporting a chair seat and chair back assembly in sitting and reclining positions relative to a base comprising, a base link fixed to the base, a back link fixed to the chair back, a seat link fixed to the chair seat, a primary back separator pivoted to said back link, a secondary back separator rotatable on said base link, said primary and secondary back separators being pivotally interconnected, and a primary seat propeller-elevator fixed relative to the seat and pivoted to said secondary back separator, allcoacting suchwise as to project the seat forwardly and upwardly by the rotation of said secondary back separator relative to said base link as the back reclines away from the seat.

5. In the mechanism as set forth in claim 4, the improvement including, an actuator pivoted to said secondary back separator and to an arm of a bell crank, said bell crank being pivoted to the forward extremity of said seat link.

6. In the mechanism as set forth in claim 5, the improvement including, means for supporting a leg-rest relative to the base comprising, a primary leg-rest actuator pivoted to said seat link, a secondary leg-rest actuator pivoted to the leg-rest, and a bell crank pivoted to said seat link, one arm of said bell crank pivoted to said secondary leg-rest actuator, said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators being pivotally interconnected whereby the forward actuation of the said arm of said bell crank projects said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators for 6 accomplishing the forward and upward actuation of the leg-rest.

7. In the mechanism set forth in claim 6, the improvement including, the pivoted connection between said actuator and the seat constituting said actuator being pivoted to said bell crank at a point remote from the pivotal connection between said bell crank and seat link.

8. In a mechanism for supporting a chair seat and a chair back assembly in sitting and reclining positions relative to a base comprising, a base link fixed to the base, a back link fixed to the chair back, a seat link fixed to the chair seat, a primary back separator pivotally secured to said back link, a secondary back separator rotatably secured to said base link, said primary and secondary back separators being pivotally interconnected, a primary seat propeller-elevator'fixed relative to the seat and pivoted to said secondary back separator, an actuator pivoted to said secondary back separator, and a bell crank pivoted to said seat link, one arm of said bell crank pivoted to said actuator, all adapted and arranged suchwise as to project the seat forwardly and upwardly by the rotationof said secondary back separator relative to said base link and the movement forwardly and upwardly of said actuator in response to swinging movement of the back rearwardly away from the seat.

9. In the mechanism as set forth in claim 8, the improvement including, means for supporting a leg-rest relative to the base comprising, a primary leg-rest actuator pivoted to said seat link, a secondary leg-rest actuator pivoted to the leg-rest, one arm of said bell crank being pivoted to said secondary leg-rest actuator, said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators being pivotally interconnected whereby the forward actuation of the said arm of said bell crank projects said primary and secondary leg-rest actuators for accomplishing the forward and upward actuation of the leg-rest.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,727,561 Bank et a1 Dec. 20, 1955 2,779,392 Knabusch et a1. Jan. 29, 1957 2,781,823 Knabusch et al. Feb. 19, 1957 2,850,078 Lorenz Sept. 2, 1958 

